Diversity, Inclusion, and Storying: Connecting Across Cultures to Give Meaning to Patients' Whole Health

Transcultural nursing inspires us for humanness. The breadth of a culture is handed down through stories. Storytelling creates understanding and mutuality within a culture and between cultures. Deeper understanding can lead to better patient outcomes across variances in health, wellness, and social standing. The intentional use of storying by six nurses in a project called Story Care led to more appreciative understanding of the other's culture and raised awareness of self in interaction with another. The nurses, patients, and their families had deliberate opportunities to learn more about another who was culturally different, to understand how historical perspectives influence the dynamics of interactions, and to explore a sense of commonality and mutuality in nurse-patient engagements. As we strive for cultural intelligence, diversity, and inclusion in our organizations, transcultural nursing helps nurses connect to and be mindful of cultural ways in which we understand a patient's or population's vulnerability, determination, spirit, and strengths that give meaning to their whole health.